Method of molding and ornamenting plastic substances.



1. M. MACDONALD- METHOD OF MOLDING AND ORNAMENTING PLASTIC SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14. I917.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

A @ttozm JAMES H. MLODON'ALD, OF EAST OBANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MOD 0] HOLDING AND OBNAHENTING PLASTIC SUBSTANCES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed February 14, 1917. Serial No. 148,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, JAMES M. Mao- DONALD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of East Oran e, in the county of Essex and State of ew Jerse have invented certain new and usefu Improvements in Methods of Molding and Ornamenting Plastic Substances, of which the followin is a specification.

The 0 ject of m invention is to provide an improved met od for moldin plastic substances and ornamenting them while they are being molded. More specificall it is the object of my invention to mold a suitable plastic substance into the form of a button and ornamenting the latter by a suitable ornamental covering or deslgn. Another object of the invention is the production of an ornamental molded article as a new article of manufacture accordin to my improved method. Other objects will appear as this specification proceeds, while erence is had to the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated the several steps in my improved method with reference to the making of buttons. The invention is, however, not limited to the making of buttons but contemplates the production of other articles ais well. For ipstanse, chi for use in p aying mes 0 car s, che cl zs, badges, plaques, sa trays and numerous other articles. I

My invention contemplates the use of a suitable fabric material as a means of ornamentation, though I do not wish to limit myself to the use of fabrics as I have practised my invention successfull by ornamenting the molded article W1 h an ornamented paper covering.

Briefly stated my invention comprises the impregnation of the ornamental coverin material with a suitable solution whi when baked or heated and compressed acquires a high luster and also acts as a binder. A suitable phenolic combination such as carbolic acid and formaldehyde, may be used for this purpose. mold and fill the same with the substance of which the finished article is to be made, said substance being preferably prepared in tablet form. I then lace the impregnated covering material Jacent the and tablet I thenv take a and close the mold. By the application of heat and ressure and subsequent chilling or cooling, t e fabric and the tablet unite by compresslon to form the finished ornamented article desired. As examples of the substances adapted for practice with my inventlon may be named bakelite, condensite and the like. The several steps in my improved method and an apparatus for practlsing the same are illustrated in the accompanylng drawing in which- Flgure 1 is a sectional view of a fabric to used for ornamenting the article;

Flg. 2 is a similar view of the impregnated fabric;

3 is a face view of the fabric- F1g. 4 is a sectional view of the mold contamin the tablet of plastic substance and the fa r1c ready for compression;

Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view showing the compression completed;

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively face and edge views of the finished article;

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate modifications for ornamenting the articles in a difi'erent manner from that shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 10 illustrates an apparatus for practisi p g my improved method.

1th respect to the molding of the substance itself, I refer to my pending applications Serial Numbers 107 ,7 5-1 and 133,839, for a more detail description than is required for the purpose of this disclosure.

The reference numeral 12 designates a suitable fabric to be used as an ornamental covering for the finished article, in this instance a button. I may use any fabric for this purpose such as plain or fancy silks, cottons, printed goods or other fabrlcs suitable for ornamental pu l n-fl or for the purpose of matching a n or suit with decorated or 'omamented buttons. I may also use an embroidered fabric In carrying out m process I cut a piece of the fa ric in suc shape and size as may be required for the particular button I wish to e and impre ate the same, as by di p' with a suitable solution lndicated at 18 m the drawing b sectional lines. If the button is to be m e of bakelite I prefer the fabric.

The substance referred to is pre ared in suitable preliminary form, as ta lots or granules for instance and in F1 4 I have shown a tablet 14 which is plac in a.- mold comprising the molding members 15 and 16, the latter havin a spacing portion 17. The rin or annu ar member 18 completes the mold: Before closing the mold I place the ornamental covering element 12 t]1ere1n next to the tablet 14. If the fabr c is of light color or very thin it is advantageous and in some instances quite necessary, to employ a disk of light colored cardboard 20 or other 0 aque or nearly opaque material between t e fabric and the substance to form a'background for the fabric and prevent the color of the substance from appearing through the fabric to tone down the shade of the latter. In the casepf bakel te it is more economical to use the background member, than to emplo a light colored bakelite. The mold mem rs 15 and 16 are of course shaped to produce the required form of article as shown.

Each mold forms a unit and a plurality of such units are placed within a tube 21, see Fig. 10, provided with a steam acket 22 and a water jacket 23 provided with supply pipes 24, 24, and outlets 25 25 respectlvely. The units are placed in almement with the tube by a feeding means represented at 26 having compartments 27 into which the filled units are placed by the operator. 28 represents a suitable compressing member, such as a plunger, which is operated to ram the units into and through the tube. At the other end there is a removing means 29 having compartments 30 for receiving the units from the tube 21. 32 represents an ejecting means'for ejecting the units. 39 is an abutment. The detailed operation and construction of the a paratus is set forth in the application Serial Number 133,839 referred to above.

In passin through the tube, the tablets 14 become p astic under the influence of the heat in jacket 22. At the same time they are subjected to the continued hammeringlgperation of the plunger 28 whereby the su tance after it has become plastic is compressed and formed in the mold together with the cardboard and fabric as illustrated in Fig. 5. The solution in the fabric also softens by the heat and is partly forced into the cardboard, while on the other side of the latter the plas tic substance in similar manner partly penetrates the cardboard, the result being that the fabric, cardboard and tablet are united into a whole with the several elements firmly bound to each other, after which the completely molded and ornamented article passes into t e chilled area of the tube and is cooled and set. After ejection, the buttons may be polished and the bur 35, see Fig. 5-, which forms between the lands or shoutders 36 and 27 of the dies or molds, is removed.

The finished product as shown in Figs. 6 and 7,. is that of a button or other article covered with the fabric 12 which extends more or less over the edge according to the shape of the mold as is obvious. I have found that the fabric becomes so firmly bound to the button that it is very difiicult if not impossible, to scratch it off with a knife or l1ke instrument. And considering the ordinary wear and usage to which buttons are subjected, it ma be said the fabric is inseparab y united with the substance.

In case' a dark or heavy fabric is used or when it is immaterial whether or not its color is darkened, the cardboard may be omitted as shown in Fig. 8, which illustrates the simplest form of my invention, that of making a button of a dplastic substance with a covering? pure -an simple. Again, as shown, in ig. 9, I may cover both sides of the article 40 by a covering 41 and interpose cardboards 20, 20 or of course omit .them as in F T-he finisheifbutton or other article is very superior to covered buttons made according to other methods. The fabric being thoroughly saturated with the solution acquires a high luster and the process im arts superior wearing qualities thereto. oisture or heat has no influence on the fabric thus treated.

It will also be observed that the scope of the art of making fancy buttons is greatly enlarged by my invention. Thus, buttons may be made with special designs on pa er and treated as set forth above with the Ike result, where ordinaril it would be impossible to use paper for t is pu ose. I therefore claim not only fabrics at an other material which may be found suita le for the purpose.

he ornamented and molded article roduced by the process herein is distinguis ed from other similar articles by the fact that the covering material is impregnated with and the face portions of the article consist of materials or substances adapted to be united by an autogenic process such as described, although as a matter of fact one of the materials is different from the other.

I claim.

1. As a new article of manufacture, a button comprising a body portion and a fabric covering im regnated with a solution of the substance 0 which said body portion consists for securinw'the said fabric covering to the said body portion. a 2. As a new article of manufacture, abutton composed of a condensation roduct'of phenol and formaldehyde and a Fabric cove131? impregnated with a solution of the p uct and secured to said body portion.-

3. As a new article of manufacture, a button composed of a condensation product of phenol and formaldehyde, a fabric coverin impregnated with a solution of the sai roduct, a member forming a background 5 or said fabric covering interposed between the latter and said body portion, the said three elements being united to form a button with a fabric covenn Signed at New Yor in the county of New York and State of New York this 30th day 10 of January A. D. 1917.

JAMES M. MACDONALD.

Certificate of Correction.

I! is hereby rertified that Letters Patent No. 1,301,069, granted A ril 15, 1919, upuu the appliuition of James M. iilacDonald, of East Orange, New ersey, for an improvement in Methods of Molding and Ornamenting Plastic Substances, were erruneously issued to the inventor, said MacDonald, whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to Plastics De elopment Company, a i'm-pm'alion of New lt'r-wy, said i-m'puratinn being assignee of the entire interest in said invention, as huwn by the rei-nrils of assignments in this Office: and that the said Letters Patent. should he read will) this wrrection therein that the same may mnfnrm to the record of the vase in the Patent ()fiiee.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of Juiy, A. D. 1924.

[SEAL] THOMAS E. ROBERTSON,

Uowmnissionqr of Patents. 

